continual

[ kuhn-tin-yoo-uhl ]

See synonyms for continual on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of regular or frequent recurrence; often repeated; very frequent: continual bus departures.
happening without interruption or cessation; continuous in time.

Origin of continual

First recorded in 1300–50; from Medieval Latin continuālis, equivalent to Latin continu(us) “uninterrupted” + -ālis adjective suffix; replacing Middle English continuel, from Middle French, from Latin, as above; see continuous, -al¹

confusables note For continual

Although usage guides generally advise that continual may be used only to mean “intermittent” and continuous only to mean “uninterrupted,” the words are used interchangeably in all kinds of speech and writing with no distinction in meaning: The president's life is under continual (or continuous ) scrutiny. Continuous (or continual ) bursts of laughter punctuated her testimony. The adverbs continually and continuously are also used interchangeably. To make a clear distinction between what occurs at short intervals and what proceeds without interruption, writers sometimes use the contrasting terms intermittent ( intermittent losses of power during the storm ) and uninterrupted ( uninterrupted reception during the storm ) or similar expressions. Continuous is not interchangeable with continual in the sense of spatial relationship: a continuous (not continual ) series of passages.

Other words for continual

1	successive, recurrent, repetitive, repetitious
2	unceasing, ceaseless, incessant, uninterrupted, unremitting, unbroken, permanent, unending

See synonyms for continual on Thesaurus.com

Other words from continual

con·tin·u·al·i·ty, con·tin·u·al·ness, noun
qua·si-con·tin·u·al, adjective
qua·si-con·tin·u·al·ly, adverb
un·con·tin·u·al, adjective
un·con·tin·u·al·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with continual

continual , continuous (see confusables note at the current entry)

Words Nearby continual

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use continual in a sentence

In a response to the GAO included in the report, the Department of Labor said it planned to clarify its future unemployment releases to note that the number of continual claims does not accurately estimate the number of people claiming benefits.
Unemployment statistics during the pandemic have been inflated by backlogs, according to GAO report | Eli Rosenberg | November 30, 2020 | Washington Post
There are hydrogen ions in the continual flow of charged particles from the sun.
There’s water on sunny parts of the moon, scientists confirm | Maria Temming | November 24, 2020 | Science News For Students
“Taiwan’s continual success is due to strict enforcement of border control,” says Jason Wang, director of Stanford University’s Center for Policy, Outcomes and Prevention.
How Taiwan’s COVID response became the world’s envy | Claire Zillman, reporter | October 31, 2020 | Fortune
The continual investment into this kind of profiling and segmenting indicates that this kind of data driven, large-scale microtargeting has only grown and become mainstream.
The weirdly specific filters campaigns are using to micro-target you | Tate Ryan-Mosley | October 23, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
It’s not offering the same kind of real-time, continual analysis as more expensive strategies.
A.I. gets down in the dirt as precision agriculture takes off | Aaron Pressman | October 5, 2020 | Fortune

And in the process of looking, continual looking, the result in any given performance can be long or short.
The Stacks: John Coltrane’s Mighty Musical Quest | Nat Hentoff | October 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The Krishna Movement stresses continual silent chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra in order to keep the mind focused on God.
When Gary Wright Met George Harrison: Dream Weaver, John and Yoko, and More | Gary Wright | September 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Coping with drought and marginal soils was a continual struggle.
‘The Harness Maker’s Dream:’ The Unlikely Ranch King of Texas | Nick Kotz | September 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Before the restraining effects of governments, he argued, we lived in “continual fear and danger of violent death.”
War! What Is It Good For? A Lot | Nick Romeo | August 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Throughout the book there is a continual refrain: “Four years before the end …” or “The day before the end …” and so forth.
In a New Novel, Apathetic Teenagers Usher in the Apocalypse | Elliot Ackerman | June 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But the continual drafts had kept ever in advance of the receipts, draining the exchequer—crippling its faculties.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV. | Various
The cabins along the country roads were a continual source of curiosity to Yung Pak.
Our Little Korean Cousin | H. Lee M. Pike
On such occasions continual salutes are fired from the imperial ships, and sometimes from others in the harbour.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida Pfeiffer
On account of the continual heat, there is no glass in any of the windows, but its place is supplied by sun-blinds.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida Pfeiffer
Ugly, small and a drunkard, he was nevertheless the lucky husband of Luigia, whose marvelous beauty was his continual boast.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z | Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe

British Dictionary definitions for continual

continual

/ (kənˈtɪnjʊəl) /

adjective

recurring frequently, esp at regular intervals
occurring without interruption; continuous in time

Origin of continual

C14: from Old French continuel, from Latin continuus uninterrupted, from continēre to hold together, contain

continual

See continuous

Derived forms of continual

continuality or continualness, noun
continually, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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